Stemware anchor

ABSTRACT

A stemware anchor that includes a plate having various surfaces and edges and a notch that is used for anchoring a piece of stemware on top of an external surface, such as a table. On the lower surface of the plate are one or more protruding members that are used for releasably gripping the external surface. When the base of a piece of stemware is slipped within the notch, the plate securely restrains the glass on the tabletop.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63170462 filed on Apr. 3, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to surface supports for stemware, and more particularly to supports that can be used to steady and/or anchor stemware on a surface.

Stemware is drinkware, such as wine glasses or other beverage glasses, that stand on stems above a base. It is most frequently made of glass (stemmed glassware), but may be made from plastic, metal or ceramic material. Stemware, including stemmed drinkware such as wine glasses, are used frequently in personal, recreational, and professional settings including private locations, such as in the home, and in public locations, such as restaurants, bars, and similar establishments.

For purposes of this application, stemware is defined as a drinking vessel consisting of a bowl, stem, and base, wherein the stemware, while in an upright configuration, will have the base located at its bottom end, and the stem will interconnect the base to a bowl that is located at least some vertical distance above the base. When in an upright position and undisturbed, liquid may be contained within the bowl of the stemware. The bottom of the base of the stemware normally rests on a surface when the stemware is in use holding a beverage, and the stemware obviously may be picked up by a user when the user desires to take a drink of the beverage from the bowl, after which the stemware may be placed back on the surface or held, whichever is desired by the user of the stemware.

Due to its design, stemware is inherently somewhat unstable when the stemware is placed upright on a flat surface. The stem is commonly much thinner than the base that is located at the bottom of the stemware, and the stem is also much thinner than the bowl that is located at the top end of the stemware. In comparison to other drinkware, cups, and glasses, stemware will have a relatively high center of gravity, and thus stemware is prone to accidental tipping over when it is placed on a flat surface. This tendency to tip over is amplified when the bowl is filled or partially filled with liquid. Most conventional stemware has a 60 mm to 70 mm diameter base that is approximately 11 mm to 12 mm thick at the edge, tapering to a 12 mm to 13 mm diameter stem at 25 mm above the base.

Wine glasses and other types of stemware resting on a surface are notoriously unstable and are therefore easily jarred or overturned by guests, servers, inattentive diners, or table movement. Any person could bump or knock the stemware or the surface on which it rests causing spills or damaging or even destroying the stemware itself. Overturned glass stemware may shatter and cover the user, those in the vicinity of the user, and the surface with glass shards and/or beverage contents. In such an event, broken glass may pose a safety hazard. Additionally, continuously replacing broken stemmed glassware and lost beverage is expensive and burdensome. Further, even if the stemware does not shatter when it is upset or overturned, liquid spilled from the bowl of the stemware may pose a safety hazard as well, potentially causing persons nearby to slip or fall if that liquid is spilled from the bowl of the stemware onto the floor below. Moreover, cleaning up the resulting mess is laborious and inconvenient, particularly if the user's clothes, nearby persons' clothes, or other fabric materials such as tablecloths or carpets were soiled by spilled liquids, such as, for example only, spilled red wine. Also, overturning stemware can annoyingly disrupt social events and meals.

Additionally, in any particular setting, multiple persons may each be using their own piece of stemware that is not readily distinguishable or identifiable from the other persons' stemware. A person could easily lose track of which exact piece of stemware they have been using to drink a beverage by either putting the stemware down, then wandering off and returning and forgetting which piece of stemware is theirs, or simply losing track while dining together with other people at the same table. This can present not just socially awkward moments during which multiple people are not certain which piece of stemware they have been using, but it could also potentially be unhygienic or unsanitary if one of the people has a contagious disease and another person mistakenly drinks from that person's piece of stemware.

While there are various prior art devices that have been proposed for supporting/steadying stemware, no practical device provides simple, efficient support/anchoring of such stemware on a surface, while also maintaining the portability and ease of transport of such stemware. In other words, the method or devices that have been proposed in the past for anchoring stemware on a surface, such as a table, do not easily allow the user to still lift and move the stemware. For example, prior art designs and devices rely on weights which create the additional difficulty of lifting/moving/transporting the stemware and its contents. The prior art does not teach a device that both provides support/stability while also allowing for easy lifting/transporting of the stemware and its contents. Accordingly, there is currently a need for a device that prevents stemware from overturning, but facilitates the lifting and transporting of the stemware. There is also a need for such a device that allows multiple users to readily distinguish between the stemware that they have been individually using and the stemware that is being used by others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention hereby disclosed is best understood as a device that temporarily secures or anchors stemware to a surface, such as a tabletop, counter, or the like, while the stemware is in use holding a beverage for the purpose of preventing the stemware from tipping over. The invention also provides a means for distinguishing between individual pieces of stemware that have a similar appearance when the pieces of stemware are being used by a multiplicity of people in order to avoid confusion as to whose drink is whose.

The present invention relates to a stemware anchor comprising a plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, a top edge, a bottom edge and two opposing side edges. The bottom edge of the plate includes an opening in communication with a U-shaped notch, wherein the notch is at least slightly narrower than the diameter of the base of most conventional stemware.

In one embodiment of the stemware anchor hereby disclosed, two magnetic discs are secured to the lower surface of the plate. The first magnetic disc is located in the area defined by the first side edge of the plate, the bottom edge of the plate, and the notch, but the first magnetic disc is not immediately adjacent to the notch. The second magnetic disc is located in the area defined by the second side edge, the bottom edge, and the notch, but the second magnetic disc is not immediately adjacent to the notch. The said magnetic discs are of a certain polarity for gripping a ferromagnetic surface. When the stem of a piece of stemware is removably slipped within the notch and the base of the stemware is concurrently removably slipped beneath the lower surface of the plate, the two magnetic discs allow the plate to securely restrain the glass on a ferromagnetic tabletop, such as, for example purposes only, a metal tabletop made of steel.

In another embodiment of the invention hereby disclosed, two suction cups are secured to the lower surface of the plate. The first suction cup is located in the area defined by the first side edge of the plate, the bottom edge of the plate, and the notch, but the first suction cup is not immediately adjacent to the notch. The second suction cup is located in the area defined by the second side edge, the bottom edge, and the notch, but the second suction cup is not immediately adjacent to the notch. The two suction cups are each molded suction cups for releasably gripping a smooth surface. When the stem of a piece of stemware is removably slipped within the notch and the base of the piece of stemware is concurrently removably slipped underneath the lower surface of the plate, the plate securely restrains the glass on the tabletop or other flat surface to which the two suction cups are releasably attached.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that prevents stemware from overturning or tipping over when the stemware is placed on a tabletop or other flat surface. It is a further object of the invention to provide tabletop/surface supports for stemware that reduces the likelihood of the stemware accidentally tipping over when placed on a surface. It is a further object of the invention to provide such support for stemware while still allowing the user to easily remove and lift the stemware and drink the liquid contents from the bowl.

It is an object of some embodiments of the present invention to provide a device that firmly anchors stemware to underlying ferromagnetic surfaces. It is an object of other embodiments of the present invention to provide a device that firmly anchors stemware to underlying smooth surfaces, regardless of ferromagnetic status of the surfaces. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a stemmed glassware anchor that minimizes the possibility of glass breakage, injury, or beverage loss caused by overturning of stemmed glassware.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the attached drawings and the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a bottom view of one embodiment of the stemware anchor.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up view of an edge portion of the notch of an embodiment of the stemware anchor.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of an embodiment of the stemware anchor.

FIG. 4 shows an isolated, standalone side view of the stemware anchor.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the stemware anchor as it might appear when it is in contact with an external surface such as a tabletop or counter.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the stemware anchor as it might appear while in use restraining a piece of stemware.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-6 are provided in order to further describe the embodiments of the present invention in more detail. Embodiments of the stemware anchor 100 hereby disclosed are illustrated in FIGS. 1-6. FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 are illustrations of the anchor 100 by itself from different vantage points. FIG. 2 shows a closeup view illustrating the beveled edge of the curved U-shaped notch 8. FIG. 5 shows a side view of an embodiment of the stemware anchor 100 in use while placed on an external surface 14 such as a table or counter. FIG. 6 shows a side view of the anchor 100 in use while placed on an external surface 14, such as a table or counter while restraining a piece of stemware.

An embodiment of the stemware anchor 100 is illustrated in the drawings. The stemware anchor 100 is comprised of a plate 1 having an upper surface 2, a lower surface 3, a top edge 4, a bottom edge 5, and two opposing side edges 6. The bottom edge 5 of the plate includes an opening 7 in communication with a U-shaped notch 8 that will be slightly narrower than the diameter of the base 9 of most conventional pieces of stemware SW illustrated in FIG. 6 (it should be noted that pieces of stemware SW are only workpieces of the invention, and it is further noted that the piece of conventional stemware SW illustrated in FIG. 6 only illustrates the base 9 and a portion of the stem 10 of a piece of stemware SW). A downwardly chamfered edge 13 at the opening 7 that extends around the length of the notch 8 facilitates slipping the base 9 of a piece of stemware SW into the opening 7 and underneath the plate 1 when the user wishes to temporarily restrain the piece of stemware SW on top of an external surface 14.

The plate 1 may be constructed with a food-grade, polypropylene plastic or a similar durable, UV-resistant material. To the extent that such plastics or other polymers are used, the material would be a waterproof plastic or polymer that could be cleaned and disinfected in a typical fashion without degradation of the material. However, it is also possible to construct the plate 1 from wood or metal. To the extent the plate 1 is made from wood, the wood surfaces may be coated with a clear hard coat such as a varnish or polyurethane that provides a waterproof and non-reactive surface for use in connection with various beverages and for the purposes of cleaning.

The anchor 100 is further comprised of two discs 11. On the lower surface 3 of the plate 1, between each side edge 6 of the plate 1 and the notch 8, is a disc 11 for releasably gripping an external surface 14 when the anchor 100 is in use. Each disc 11 includes an angled lower surface 12 such that the anchor 100 will not lie flat on an external surface 14 when the anchor 100 is firmly but releasably attached to the external surface 14. The angled lower surface 12 of each disc 11 will firmly stabilize the plate 1 while elevating its lower surface 3 as depicted in FIG. 4 to facilitate insertion of a piece of stemware SW. The angled lower surface 12 of each disc 11 and the angle provided in relation to the plate 1 is probably best depicted in FIG. 5. When the base 9 of a piece of stemware SW is slipped beneath the plate 1 and positioned such that the stem 10 rises through the notch 8, the entire plate 1 is elevated in relation to the external surface 14 as can be understood when viewing FIGS. 5 and 6. The angled lower surface 12 of each disc 11 is slightly elevated so as to apply a downward force to the plate 1 thereby securely restraining the stemware SW on the external surface 14.

In one embodiment, each disc 11 is a magnetic disc for releasably gripping a ferromagnetic or iron alloy external surface 14. The anchor 100 may thereby be magnetically bonded to the ferromagnetic/iron-alloy surface 14 and will firmly hold the base 9 of the stemware SW to that external surface 14, preventing it from being “tipped over” by unanticipated or unintentional sideways or vibrational forces. To the extent that magnetic discs are used as the discs 11 for the anchor 100, and to the extent that they are offset at an angle from the plate, they will apply rotational force to the anchor 100, holding a piece of stemware SW down on an external surface 14 even more forcefully. As can be understood when considering all of the drawings together, the downwardly chamfered edge 13 when combined with the angled effect provided by the angled lower surface 12 of the discs 11 when the anchor 100 is attached to an external surface 14 will jointly facilitate slipping the base 9 of a piece of stemware SW into the opening 7 and underneath the plate 1 very easily when the user wishes to temporarily restrain the piece of stemware SW on top of an external surface 14 using the anchor 100. Likewise, these features facilitate the easy removal of the piece of stemware SW from underneath the plate 1 when the user wishes to take a drink of a beverage that is contained within the bowl of the stemware.

In another embodiment each disc 11 is comprised of a suction cup for releasably gripping a smooth external surface 14. This is useful to the extent that the external surface 14 may not be ferromagnetic or an iron alloy.

The material from which the anchor 100 is made can incorporate a marking 22 that is located on the top surface 2 of the plate 1, which may be an individualized designs, words, phrases, numbers, and the like in order to identify separate anchors 100. Thus, persons may easily be able to identify which piece of stemware SW belongs to which person. Likewise, the marking can also be comprised of advertising, designs, logos, slogans, and the like that serve not only an identification purpose, but also a marketing purpose. Thus, the marking 22 shown in FIG. 3 is comprised of the trademark “TIPSY ANCHOR”, but it could just as easily be the name or logo of a restaurant, bar, club, or the like where the anchor 100 might be used, and thus it is possible to incorporate their advertising onto the anchor 100.

It should be noted that the chamfered edge 13 discussed above may be replaced with a downwardly beveled edge or any other similarly suitable downwardly angled or curved surface that would facilitate insertion and removal of the base 9 of the stemware SW. Furthermore, although the above description has discussed discs 11 that protrude from the lower surface 3 of the plate 1, and although the drawings illustrate circular discs 11, it should be understood that the term “discs 11” and the drawings actually only describe certain specific embodiments of the invention. It is more accurate to refer to “surface-connecting protrusions” that are located on the lower surface 3 of the plate 1, and it should not be understood that the description and illustrations providing for “discs” does necessarily mean that circular or round shape is critical to those structural elements in every embodiment. In fact, the members referred to above as “discs 11” in some embodiments could have square or polygonal shape, or any other suitable shape, in other embodiments. For this reason, the term “surface-connecting protrusions” is used in the appended claims as that term more completely encompasses all structures that would come within the ambit of the invention.

Likewise, the above description and the drawings disclose a notch 8 in the bottom edge 5 of the plate 1, wherein the notch 8 is described as “U-shaped”. However, while a U-shaped notch 8 is certainly part of the embodiments that have been described and illustrated, the reality is that any shaped notch would be encompassed within the scope of the invention so long as the stem 10 of a piece of stemware SW can pass upwardly through the notch 8 while the base 9 of the stemware SW is positioned below the plate 1 during the time that the stemware SW is being restrained by the anchor 100 on top of an external surface 14.

The embodiments and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention may be best understood and appreciated with reference to the drawings, descriptions, and claims. Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the same numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the terms “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, “distal”, “proximal”, “lateral”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “central”, “first”, “second”, “third”, “inside”, “internal”, “outside”, “opposing”, “external”, “end”, “ends”, “side”, “sides”, “edge”, “edges” and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that, unless otherwise specifically stated or otherwise made specifically clear by context, these terms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings, and such terms are utilized in order to facilitate describing the invention and in order to facilitate a better understanding of the invention.

The above-described device is not limited to the exact details of construction and enumeration of parts provided herein. For example, though the device has been primarily described as using magnets to grip a tabletop, the device could include suction cups for use with any other nonmetal surfaces. Furthermore, the size, shape, and materials of construction of the various components can be varied without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Moreover, although there has been shown and described preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims. 

We claim:
 1. A stemware anchor comprised of: a plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, a top edge, two opposing side edges, and a bottom edge; a notch in the plate; at least one surface-connecting member that protrudes from said lower surface.
 2. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface-connecting member is magnetic.
 3. The stemware anchor of claim 2, wherein the surface-connecting member has an angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate.
 4. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface-connecting member is a suction cup.
 5. The stemware anchor of claim 4, wherein the surface-connecting member has an angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate.
 6. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein a multiplicity of surface-connecting members protrude from the lower surface.
 7. The stemware anchor of claim 6, wherein the multiplicity of surface-connecting members are magnetic.
 8. The stemware anchor of claim 7, wherein the multiplicity of surface-connecting members each have an angled lower surface that i not parallel to the lower surface of the plate.
 9. The stemware anchor of claim 6, wherein the multiplicity of surface-connecting members are suction cups.
 10. The stemware anchor of claim 9, wherein the multiplicity of surface-connecting members each have an angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate.
 11. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the notch has a beveled edge.
 12. The stemware anchor of claim 11, wherein the beveled edge is also present on at least part of the bottom edge of the plate.
 13. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the notch has a chamfered edge.
 14. The stemware anchor of claim 13, wherein the chamfered edge is also present on at least part of the bottom edge of the plate.
 15. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the notch is U-shaped.
 16. The stemware anchor of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the plate contains a marking that identifies the anchor.
 17. A stemware anchor comprised of: a plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, a top edge, two opposing side edges, and a bottom edge; a notch in the plate; a multiplicity of surface-connecting protrusions attached to the lower surface of the plate, wherein the surface-connecting protrusions each have their own angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate;
 18. The stemware anchor of 17, wherein the surface-connecting protrusions are magnetic.
 19. The stemware anchor of claim 17, wherein the notch has a beveled edge.
 20. A stemware anchor comprised of: a plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, a top edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, and a bottom edge; a U-shaped notch disposed within the bottom edge of the plate, wherein the U-shaped notch has a beveled edge along the entire length of the notch; a first magnetic disc that is located in the area defined by the first edge of the plate, the bottom edge of the plate, and the notch, wherein the first magnetic disc protrudes from the lower surface of the plate; a second magnetic disc that is located in the area defined by the second side edge of the plate, the bottom edge of the plate, and the notch, wherein the second magnetic disc protrudes from the lower surface of the plate; wherein the first magnetic disc and the second magnetic disc are not immediately adjacent to the notch, and wherein of the said magnetic discs has its own angled lower surface that is not parallel to the lower surface of the plate; and wherein the top surface of the plate contains a marking. 